Non-slip conveyor and method for producing same

ABSTRACT

A belt for conveying elements in provided wherein the belt comprises a compressible layer attached to the top surface of the belt. Preferably the compressible layer is resiliently deformable to cushion the impact of items on the belt or to provide a gripping surface. The belt preferably is a link belt and the top surface of the belt comprises a bonding layer for adhering the compressible element to the belt. The bonding layer may be a thermoplastic urethane that is heat fusible with the compressible layer to adhere the compressible layer to the belt.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/767,954, filed Jan. 29, 2004. The presentapplication also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/443,891, filed Jan. 31, 2003. Each of the foregoing applicationsis hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to interlocking-link conveyor belts andhas particular use in applications in which the conveyor is used toconvey a workpiece and an increased gripping force between the conveyorand the workpiece is desired to reduce slippage between the conveyor andthe workpiece. The present invention also relates to providing a belthaving an upper surface that has a resiliently deformable surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART

Link belts are generally known and used in a variety of applications,such as transmission belts and conveyor belts. When used as a conveyor,there may be slippage between the conveyor and the workpiece beingconveyed. In some applications, it is desirable to reduce the slippagebetween the conveyor and the workpiece.

In addition, when used as a conveyor, frequently the material beingconveyed is dropped onto the belt or manipulated so that the shock ofthe impact of the material onto the belt causes significant noise and/orvibration. The vibration can lead to accelerated wear of variouscomponents of the conveyor assembly. In addition, the significant noiseproduced by the impacting material degrades the work place environmentand introduces dangers associated with high-noise environments.

SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A conveyor assembly comprising a continuous belt and a compressiblegripping layer is provided. The belt is designed with sufficient tensilestrength to convey the weight of the material being transported. Thisallows the material comprising the gripping layer to be selected withoutsignificant regard to the tensile strength of the material. Acompressible layer is connected to the belt to form a gripping layerthat also operates as a shock absorbing layer operable to resilientlydeform to absorb the impact of material when material is placed on thetop side of the conveyor assembly.

In a preferred embodiment, the compressible layer is a continuous hollowlayer that is bonded to the top surface of the belt. In anotherembodiment, the compressible layer is formed of a plurality of separatecompressible elements attached to the belt. Further, preferably the beltis formed of a plurality of interlocking links, and the separatecompressible elements allow a belt link to be replaced without affectingthe compressible elements on adjacent links.

A method for producing a belt is also provided. According to the method,a compressible layer is attached to the top surface of a belt. Morespecifically, preferably, the method includes the step of providing abelt having a top surface and adhering a compressible layer to the topsurface. This may be accomplished by applying a bonding material to thetop layer of the belt and then adhering the compressible layer via thebonding material.

In a preferred method, the bonding material is a layer of thermoplasticpolyurethane on the top surface of the belt, and the compressible layeris also a thermoplastic material. The compressible layer is attached tothe belt by heat fusing the compressible layer with the polyurethanebonding layer. Further, in a preferred method, the belt is comprised ofa plurality of interlocking belt links and the method comprises the stepof applying the bonding material to the top surface of sheet materialand then cutting the belt links out of the sheet material. In yetanother method, the compressible layer is cut after it is adhered to thebelt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of an interlocking-link conveyor assembly having anon-slip surface shown transporting a workpiece and engaged by a drivingmechanism for the assembly.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the conveyor assembly illustrated inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side view partially in section, of the beltshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the belt shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an individual link of the belt shown in FIG. 1prior to assembly.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the individual belt link shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the belt illustrated in FIG. 1 showingthe belt in use in a power transmission application.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of aconveyor assembly.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second alternative embodiment of aconveyor assembly.

FIG. 10 is another perspective view of the conveyor assembly illustratedin FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings in general and FIG. 1 specifically, thepreferred embodiment of a conveyor assembly comprising a belt 15 havinga non-slip gripping layer 40 is designated generally 10. The assembly 10is shown transporting a workpiece 14. When the workpiece is placed onthe conveyor assembly 10, the gripping layer engages the workpiece. Thegripping layer 40 preferably is deformable and has a high coefficient offriction to prevent slippage between the workpiece and the conveyorassembly 10.

In a preferred embodiment, the belt 10 is a link belt having a topsurface that forms a bonding surface 35. Preferably, after the link belt15 is formed, the gripping layer 40 is then bonded to the bondingsurface 35 of the link belt.

The gripping layer 40 is preferably an elastically deformable layer thatover lies the length of the belt. In this way, when a workpiece isplaced on the belt, it is placed onto the gripping layer 40.Alternatively, when used in a power transmission application, thegripping layer 40 is used as a drive surface to engage and drivecooperating elements. For example, in one application, the belt can beused to drive the rollers in a skate roller bed, as discussed furtherbelow. The gripping layer 40 frictionally engages the rollers to drivethe rollers.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the belt 15 preferably comprises aseries of interlocking belt links 20. One of the individual links 20that comprise belt 15 is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. Each belt link 20has a body portion 22 and a fastener 30 connected to the body portion.In the present instance, the thickness of the belt link 20 between thetop surface 38 and the bottom surface 39 is substantially uniformthroughout the entire link.

A bonding material is permanently bonded to the top surface of each beltlink 20. The bonding material forms a bonding surface 35 that iscoextensive with the top surface of the belt link 20. Preferably, thebonding surface 35 is approximately 1 mm or less.

When the belt links are assembled to form a belt 15, the bonding surface35 can be used to bond the gripping layer 40 to the belt. Preferably,the bonding surface 35 is formed of a thermoplastic urethane and has acoefficient of friction that is greater than 1. In addition, preferablythe bonding surface 35 has a coefficient of friction that is higher thanthe coefficient of friction of the bottom surface 39 of the belt link20.

The body portion 22 of the belt link 20 is generally rectangular, havingtwo edges 25 extending longitudinally between a leading end 23 and atrailing end 24, both of which extend transversely between the twoedges. Adjacent leading end 23 a leading aperture 28 extends through thethickness of body portion 22. Longitudinally spaced from the leadingaperture 28 adjacent the trailing end 24, a trailing aperture 29 extendsthrough the thickness of body portion 22.

The leading end 23 corresponds to the direction in which the assembly 10travels as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1. However, the direction in whichthe assembly 10 travels can be reversed so that the leading end 23 doesnot lead the trailing end 24 with respect to the actual travel of theassembly.

The fastener 30 integrally connects the body portion 22, and comprises afastening tab 32 and a constricted neck 33. The neck extendslongitudinally, with one end connected to the fastening tab 32, and theother end connected to the leading end 23 of body 22. The length of theneck 33 between the leading end 23 and the fastening tab 32 issufficiently long to allow the fastening tab 32 to extend through theapertures in two belt links 20 as will be further discussed below.

The fastening tab 32 is generally trapezoidal shaped, having twoparallel ends that are transverse the neck 33. The fastening tab 32 issubstantially wider than the neck 33, being widest at the point where itintersects the neck, and tapering as it extends away from the neck.

The belt links 20 are connected by passing the link fasteners throughthe apertures in adjacent belt links. To ensure that the belt links canproperly connect, the apertures are configured and dimensioned withreference to the fastening tab and the neck.

In the present instance, the apertures through body 22 are non-circular.Both apertures 28 and 29 are longitudinally elongated so that theirlength 26 is greater than their width. To ensure that fastening tab 32can pass through the apertures, the length of the apertures 26 isgreater than the greatest width of the fastening tab 32.

The width of apertures 28 and 29 is not constant. Instead, the apertureswiden as they extend toward trailing end 24. To provide properconnection between the belt links 20, the apertures are narrower thanthe fastening tab width so that the fastening tab 32 cannot pass backthrough the apertures once the belt links are connected. However, theapertures are wider than the neck 33 to allow the neck to extend throughthe apertures while the belt links are connected, as will be discussedbelow.

The belt links 20 are made of a material of sufficient tensile strengthto convey the weight of the workpiece 14 or transmit the necessarypower, if used in a power transmission application. In the preferredembodiment, the belt links 20 are made of a thermoset urethane that isreinforced with a polyester fabric.

Because the belt links have sufficient tensile strength to convey theweight of the workpiece 14, the material used to make the gripping layer40 can be chosen according to characteristics such as deformability,resilience and coefficient of friction, without significant regard toits tensile strength. A variety of resilient elastomeric materials canbe used. In the preferred embodiments, the gripping layer 40 is madefrom a thermoplastic urethane.

The gripping layer 40 is preferably formed as a separate element that isattached to the surface of the belt. Referring to FIGS. 2-3, in thepresent instance the gripping layer 40 is an extruded hollow generallycylindrical element formed of a resilient thermoplastic urethane.Preferably the wall thickness of the gripping layer is relatively thin(i.e. less than ¼″) so that the gripping layer can readily collapse orcompress when it engages another element.

As previously stated, the assembly 10 comprises an interlocking-linkbelt 15 having a gripping layer 40, which is comprised of a plurality ofbelt links 20 that have been described above. The following discussiondescribes the interconnections between the belt links 20 that form thebelt 15.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a series of belt links 20 are arranged in asuperimposed successive overlapping relation to form the belt 15 with abonding surface 35. The bottom surface 39 of each belt link overlaps thetop surface 38 of an adjoining belt link, so that the thickness of thebelt 15 is at least twice the thickness of an individual belt link 20.

FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of the assembly 10, showing how the bondinglayers 35 of the belt links combine to form a bonding surface when thebelt links are interconnected. Included in these views is the connectionbetween a belt link 20A, and the two preceding belt links, 20B, and 20C.In this connection, the fastening tab 32A of belt link 20A passessideways through apertures in the two preceding belt links. It firstpasses through the leading aperture 28B of the adjacent preceding beltlink 20B and then passes through the trailing aperture 29C of the nextpreceding belt link 20C.

The term preceding is used with respect to the direction the assemblytravels, as shown in by the arrow in FIG. 3. Because the direction oftravel can be reversed, the preceding belt links can be succeeding withrespect to the actual travel of the assembly 10.

After passing through the aperture in belt link 20C, the belt linkfastening tab 32A is twisted to bear against the bottom surface 39C ofbelt link 20C. When connected in this way, the top surface of belt link20A is the top side 11 of belt 15, and the bottom surface 39C of beltlink 20C is the bottom side 12 of belt 15.

Referring to FIG. 2, the belt 15 is produced as follows. The belt links20 that make up the belt 15 include at least one layer of reinforcingmaterial, such as woven polyester sheet. The reinforcing material isimpregnated with a binding material to form a composite material. Thebinding material is liquified and deposited onto the reinforcingmaterial while liquid. Preferably, the composite material includes aplurality of layers of reinforcing material and the binding material isa thermoset urethane.

A bonding material is deposited on the composite material, preferablywhile the binding material is wet. In other words, preferably thebonding material is deposited on the composite material before thecomposite material is cured or dried. The bonding material may besprayed on, poured on or the composite material may be partiallysubmerged in a bath of bonding material. The bonding material may be achemical adhesive, such as an epoxy. However, preferably the bondingmaterial is a film of thermoplastic urethane that is approximatelycoextensive with the upper surface of the composite material. Since thebonding material of the composite material is wet when the film isplaced on the composite material, the film adheres to the compositematerial.

After the bonding material is deposited on the composite material, thecombination is cured. During the curing process the layer of bondingmaterial permanently bonds to the composite material.

Ordinarily the cured material is at least several times wider that thewidth of the belt links 20. The cured material is therefore cut into aplurality of elongated strips approximately as wide as the width of abelt link 20. The belt links are then cut-out from the strips of curedmaterial. In the present instance, the belt links are formed bypunching, which also simultaneously punches the rearward and forwardapertures in the belt links.

Formed in this way, the belt links 20 have an integral bonding surfaceapproximately 1 mm thick forming the top surface 38 of the belt link.The bonding surface is coextensive with the substrate material formingthe belt link 20 which in the present instance is polyester reinforcedthermoset urethane.

The belt links 20 are assembled to form a continuous interlocking linkbelt 15. The belt links 15 are connected to one another as detailedabove and shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Preferably, the assembled belt is thentrimmed by cutting the edges of the belt to form beveled edges thatengage the sheaves of the pulleys about which the conveyor assembly 10travels.

The gripping layer 40 is preferably attached to the belt 15 after thebelt is formed, but before the ends of the belt are connected to form acontinuous loop. As described above, preferably the bonding surface 35is formed of a thin layer of the thermoplastic urethane that is adheredto the top surface of the belt links. To attach the gripping layer 40,the gripping layer is placed on top of the belt. Heat is then applied tothe gripping layer and the bonding surface to fuse the gripping layerand bonding surface together. In other words, heat is applied so thatthe thin layer of urethane on the top surface of the belt melts togetherwith the bottom wall of the gripping layer, which preferably is alsoformed of urethane.

Preferably the gripping layer 40 is a continuous layer that extendsaround the entire length of the belt 15. Accordingly, the ends of thegripping layer 40 are spliced together, preferable by heating the endsof the belt to fuse the ends together. In this way, preferably thegripping layer forms a continuous outer surface having a substantiallyuniform surface along the entire length of the belt.

As discussed previously, the conveyor assembly 10 can be used in powertransmission applications as well. Referring to FIG. 3, the conveyorassembly 10 is used to drive a rollerbed 50. The gripping layer 40operates as an elongated pad that frictionally engages rollers 52 in therollerbed 50. As the conveyor assembly 10 is driven forwardly, thefrictional engagement between the gripping layer 40 and the rollers 52cause the rollers to rotate. This in turn causes any workpieces on topof the rollerbed 50 to be displaced along the rollerbed.

The rollerbed comprises a pair of parallel siderails 54 that support aplurality of skate wheel rollers 52 journaled between the siderails in aparallel array forming a rollerbed having a conveying surface parallelto the longitudinal run of the conveyor assembly 10. The conveyor bed ispositioned above the longitudinal run of the gripping layer 40 such thatthe longitudinal motion of the gripping layer in one direction along thelength of the bed in frictional engagement with the undersides of theparallel rollers, causes the plurality of rollers 52 to rotate asindicated by the arrow in FIG. 7. The rotating rollers 52 then advancearticles resting on the upper sides of the rollers.

Although in the preferred embodiment, the belt is a link belt with linksconnected by tabs, the present invention is broad enough to includeother types of belts. For instance, other types of link belts can beused, such as a rivited link belt in which the overlapping links arerivited to each other. In addition, belts that are not link belts can beused, such as endless belts (i.e. belts made of a single length ofmaterial with the ends spliced together to form the belt). When using anendless belt, the belt material can be formed and the gripping layer 40can be attached to the belt material before the ends of the belt arespliced together. Such a method is potentially more efficient thenattaching the gripping layer after the ends of the belt are splicedtogether.

In addition, although the cushioning layer has been described as anelongated hollow generally cylindrical element, the invention is notlimited to the particular type of cushioning layer. For instance, thecushioning layer may be solid or have relatively thick walls (i.e.thicker than ¼″). Further, the gripping layer may be formed of a fiberreinforced, metal reinforced or foamed thermoplastic urethane.Additionally, although the bonding surface 35 and gripping layer 40 arepreferably formed of a thermoplastic urethane, the elements can beformed from other materials. However, it is desirable that the materialsbe selected to ensure a consistent secure bond between the belt and thegripping layer. Preferably, the bond is provided by thermally bondingthe belt 15 and the gripping layer 40 as described above, so that thematerials should be selected to provide a consistent secure thermalbond. In other instances however, it may be desirable to use a chemicaladhesive as a primary or secondary bond between the gripping layer andthe belt. If a chemical adhesive is used as a primary bond, it ispossible to eliminate the thermal bond between the two layers. If thechemical adhesive is used as a secondary bond, preferably the chemicaladhesive provides additional support to the thermal bond. If a chemicaladhesive is used as a primary or secondary bond, the bonding surface andgripping layer should be formed of materials that can be securelyconnected by the chemical adhesive.

The gripping layer 40 has been described as a continuous generallycylindrically-shaped element, however the gripping layer can be formedinto numerous different configurations. For instance, the gripping layermay have a half around, square, trapezoidal, rectangular or triangularcross-section. In addition, rather than being a single continuouselement, the gripping layer can be formed of multiple layers or a seriesof separate segments of the same or different materials. Further, theupper surface of the gripping layer need not be a uniform continuoussurface as described previously. In certain applications, the uppersurface may form one of various profiles, such as a cogged profileformed of a series of notches formed to the top surface of the grippinglayer. If the gripping layer is an extrusion, the profile can be formedinto the extrusion after the material is extruded, but while thematerial is still hot so that the formed profile sets in the grippinglayer.

Further, although the belt assembly 10 has been described as including agripping layer 40, alternatively, one or more elements can be thermallybonded to the belt 15 in a manner similar to how the gripping layer isbonded to the belt. For instance one or more segments or components canbe adhered to the surface of the belt to operate as pins, cogs, teeth orother elements rather than the continuous gripping layer, depending uponthe application.

Referring now to FIG. 8 an alternate embodiment is illustrated. Thealternate embodiment is similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS.1-7 and described above, however, this alternate conveyor assembly 110has a gripping element 140 that is configured differently from thegripping element 40 described previously. Accordingly, except whereotherwise discussed below, elements in this second embodiment arepreferably substantially similar to corresponding elements in the firstembodiment and are designated with the same reference number with anadditional 100. For instance, the belt links 120 in the secondembodiment are substantially similar to the belt links 20 described inthe first embodiment.

The alternate conveyor assembly 110 comprises a belt 115 having an uppersurface to which a gripping or cushioning element 140 is attached. Thegripping layer may extend outwardly overhanging the side edges of thebelt 115. However, preferably the gripping layer is approximately aswide as the width of the belt or narrower.

The gripping element comprises an elongated channel having sidewalls 142and a top surface 144 extending between the sidewalls. Preferably, thetop surface is substantially flat across the width and along the lengthof the belt. In addition, preferably the top surface has a thicknessthat is greater than the thickness of the side wall.

Although the top surface 144 is illustrated as continuous between thesidewalls, the top surface may extend between the sidewalls withoutinterconnecting the sidewalls. The bottom surface 146 of the grippingelement may be continuous like the top surface, however, preferably aslot extends through the bottom surface along the length of the grippingelement. The slot provides addition clearance for the top surface whenthe top surface is deformed downwardly. In other words, when the topsurface of the belt 110 engages an item, the top surface 144 may deformdownwardly into the hollow space within the gripping element 140 andinto the recess formed by the slot in the bottom surface 146. Thisprovides an greater distance for compression relative to the height ofthe sidewall than a similar element not having a slot, thus allowing areduced profile for the gripping element. In addition, although the slotis shown as a through slot, the slot may be formed as a groove on theinterior face of the bottom surface 146.

The gripping element 140 may be attached to the belt in any of themethods described above in connection with the first embodiment.However, preferably the gripping element 140 is adhered to the belt byheat fusing the gripping element with bonding layer 135 on the top ofthe belt.

As described in the first embodiment, the gripping element is preferablya unitary element that extends along substantially the entire length ofthe belt so that the gripping layer provides a continuous top surfacearound the belt. Rather than being a single piece, the gripping elementmay be two or more elements that are individually bonded to the surfaceof the belt, so that the structure is essentially the same as a singlecontinuous piece. However, in certain instances, it may be desirable toform the gripping element into a plurality of segments that are bondedto the belt. Using a plurality of elements, the ends of the grippingelements may be connected to one another so that the gripping elementpieces provide a substantially continuous outer surface. Alternatively,the gripping elements may be adhered to the belt so that there are gapsbetween adjacent gripping element, so that the outer surfaces of thegripping elements do not create a substantially continuous surfacearound the length of the belt.

The separate gripping elements may be separately formed and individuallyadhered to the belt. Alternatively, a continuous gripping element may beadhered to the belt as described above, and then the gripping elementmay be cut into a plurality of segments by cutting the gripping elementtransverse the length of the belt. The length of the gripping segmentsmay vary. In some instances, the gripping segments may overlap aplurality of belt links. In other instances, to maximize the flexibilityof the conveyor assembly, the gripping segments may be cut so that eachbelt link has a separate gripping segment, with each belt segments beingshorter than the length of each belt link.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, another alternative conveyor 210assembly is illustrated. The conveyor 210 illustrates al alternativegripping or cushioning layer 240. As discussed further below, thegripping layer 240 comprises a plurality of protrusions that projectupwardly from the surface of the belt 215 to increase the ability of thebelt to grip and convey items on the belt.

The conveyor 210 comprises a link belt 215 formed of a series ofoverlapping belt links 220 similar to the link belt 15 described above.The top layer of each belt link comprises a bonding material 235 that isoperable to bond the gripping layer 240 to the top surface of the belt.When the belt 215 is assembled, the bonding materials on the top surfaceof each belt link combine to form a bonding layer 235 that bonds withthe gripping layer 240.

The gripping layer 240 covers a substantial portion of the length of thebelt 215. In the present instance, the gripping layer 240 overliessubstantially the entire length of the belt 215 to form a continuous topgripping layer when the ends of the belt 215 are connected to form acontinuous loop.

In the embodiment in FIGS. 9 and 10, the gripping layer comprises aplurality of spaced apart nubs or fingers 242 that protrude upwardly.The nubs 242 may be spaced apart randomly along the surface of thegripping layer. However, in the present instance, the nubs 242 arespaced apart to form an array of rows and columns of nubs, as shown inFIG. 10. In addition, the height and width of each nub may vary.However, in the present instance, the nubs 242 are relatively short,with each numb having a height that is less than the width of the belt215, and the combined width of the nubs across the width of the belt isless than the width of the belt, so that there is open space betweenadjacent nubs. Although the configuration of the nubs can vary, in thepresent instance, most or substantially all of the nubs aresubstantially the same height and substantially the same width.

The gripping layer 240 is formed of a resiliently deformable material.More specifically, preferably the gripping layer is formed of a singlematerial, however, the gripping layer can be formed of multiplematerials, such as a structure in which the numbs 242 are formed from amaterial that is different than the rest of the gripping layer. The nubsmay be formed of a rigid material, however, in the present instance, thenubs are deformable. More specifically, the nubs may be deformableresiliently, wherein the nubs are compressible or deflectable laterallywhen an item is placed onto the surface of the cushioning layer. In thepresent instance, the gripping layer is formed of a resilientthermoformable plastic, such as urethane.

As discussed above, the gripping layer 240 is formed as a single layerthat is positioned over top of the belt 215. In the present instance,the gripping layer 240 is formed of a thermoplastic that is thermallybonded to the top surface of the belt. The gripping layer 240 ispreferably attached to the belt 215 after the belt is formed, but beforethe ends of the belt are connected to form a continuous loop. Asdescribed above, preferably the bonding surface 235 is formed of a thinlayer of thermoplastic urethane that is adhered to the top surface ofthe belt links. To attach the gripping layer 240, the gripping layer isplaced on top of the belt. Heat is then applied to the gripping layerand the bonding surface to fuse the gripping layer and bonding surfacetogether. In other words, heat is applied so that the thin layer ofurethane on the top surface of the belt melts together with the bottomsurface of the gripping layer, which preferably is also formed ofurethane.

Preferably the gripping layer 240 is a continuous layer that extendsalong the entire length of the belt 215. Accordingly, the ends of thegripping layer 240 are spliced together, preferable by heating the endsof the belt to fuse the ends together. In this way, preferably thegripping layer forms a continuous outer surface having a substantiallyuniform surface along the entire length of the belt.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation. There is no intention in the use ofsuch terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the featuresshown and described or portions thereof. It is recognized, however, thatvarious modifications are possible within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

1. A method for producing a belt for transmitting power or transportingmaterials on the top side of the assembly comprising the steps of:providing belt material having a top surface forming a bonding surface;providing a gripping layer; placing the gripping layer onto the bondingsurface so that the gripping layer overlies the bonding surface; bondingthe gripping layer to the bonding surface, so that the gripping layer issubstantially permanently attached to the belt material; and connectingthe ends of the belt material to form a continuous belt.
 2. The methodof claim 1 wherein the step of bonding comprises the step of thermallybonding.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the bonding surface comprisesa layer of thermoplastic material.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein thegripping layer comprises a thermoplastic material.
 5. The method ofclaim 4 comprising the steps of forming a plurality of belt links fromthe belt material and connecting the belt links to form a link belthaving a top surface formed by the bonding surface of each individuallink.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the gripping layer is resilientlydeformable.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the gripping layer isformed so that the gripping layer comprises a plurality of spacedprotrusions projecting upwardly from the belt.
 8. A method for producinga belt, comprising the steps of: forming a belt having a top surface;forming a compressible element having a resiliently deformable topsurface; adhering the compressible element to the top surface of thebelt to provide a resiliently deformable top surface on the belt.
 9. Themethod of claim 8 wherein the step of forming a belt comprises forming aplurality of belt links and interconnecting the belt links to form alink belt.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of forming aplurality of belt links comprises the steps of: providing sheet materialonto which a bonding layer has been deposited; and cutting the links outof the sheet material.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the bondingmaterial is a heat fusible material, and the step of adhering comprisesthe step of heat fusing the compressible element to the top surface ofthe belt.
 12. The method of claim 8 wherein the belt has a length andthe step of forming a compressible element comprises forming anelongated compressible element having a length that is approximately aslong as the belt.
 13. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of forminga compressible element comprises the step of extruding an elongatedelement having first and second ends, and the step of adhering comprisesadhering the compressible element to the belt so that the first andsecond ends are adjacent one another after joining the ends of the belt.14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of forming a compressibleelement comprises extruding an elongated thermoplastic element.
 15. Themethod of claim 13 wherein the step of forming a compressible elementcomprises forming an element comprising a plurality of spaced apartresiliently deformable nubs.
 16. The method of claim 8 wherein the stepof forming a belt comprises forming a belt having a thermoplastic toplayer, wherein the step of adhering the compressible element comprisesheat fusing the compressible layer with the thermoplastic top layer. 17.The method of claim 8 comprising the step of cutting through thecompressible layer in a direction transverse the longitudinal axis ofthe compressible element.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step ofcutting comprises cutting the compressible layer after the compressiblelayer is adhered to the belt.
 19. The method of claim 8 wherein the stepof producing a belt comprises producing a plurality of interlocking linkbelts, and the method comprises the step of disconnecting links adjacentthe cut compressible layer and replacing a belt link.
 20. The method ofclaim 19 comprising the step of fusing cut ends of the compressiblelayer adjacent the replaced belt link.
 21. The method of claim 20wherein the step of producing a compressible element comprises formingan elongated compressible element having sidewalls and a resilientlydeformable top surface extending between the sidewalls along the lengthof the compressible element.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the stepof forming a compressible element comprises forming a hollow element.23. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of forming the compressibleelement comprises forming an elongated element having a width and aheight, wherein the width is greater than the height.
 24. The method ofclaim 8 wherein the step of forming a compressible element comprisesforming a unitary elongated element having a length approximately aslong as the length of the belt.
 25. The method of claim 8 wherein thestep of forming the belt comprises the step of forming a plurality ofbelt links and interconnecting the links to form a belt, wherein thestep of forming a compressible element comprises forming an elementhaving a length less than the length of one of the belt links and thestep of adhering comprises adhering the compressible element to the onebelt link.
 26. A method for producing a belt, comprising the steps of:forming a belt having a top layer of heat fusible material; forming atop element having an outer configuration, wherein the top elementcomprises a bottom surface formed of heat fusible material; and adheringthe bottom surface of the top element to the top layer of the belt sothat the outer configuration projects outwardly from the belt, whereinthe step of adhering comprises heat fusing the top element and the belt.27. The method of claim 26 wherein the step of forming a belt comprisesforming a length of belt material and depositing thermoplastic urethaneon the belt material to form the top layer.
 28. The method of claim 27wherein the step of forming a belt comprises the steps of: cutting aplurality of links from the belt material after the urethane isdeposited on the belt material; and interconnecting the links to formthe belt.
 29. The method of claim 26 wherein the top element comprisesan elongated compressible element overlapping substantially the entirelength of the belt.
 30. The method of claim 29 wherein the top elementcomprises a plurality of spaced apart protrusions extending away fromthe belt.